http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-urbana23.htmlURBANA -- A former Illinois State Police lieutenant testified Friday that his superiors demoted him for voicing suspicions that one of them was tipping off the suspect of a major organized crime investigation.
Callahan said Friday he worked alongside Fermon for nearly two years on a special task force looking into activities of the suspect, an Edgar County businessman who has given at least $32,000 to former Gov. George Ryan and other state politicians. In April 2003, however, Callahan alerted the State Police's Division of Internal Investigations to possible sabotage by Fermon. snip
In one case leading Callahan to file the internal complaint, the businessman -- who has not been charged with any crimes -- discovered surveillance equipment planted by police shortly after Fermon learned of it, Callahan said. Another time, Callahan said phone calls from the businessman to mob figures in New York and Sicily abruptly stopped after Fermon heard of wiretaps on the phones. snip
Earlier Friday, Callahan repeated his claim that Carper told him not to pursue the businessman as a possible target once State Police executives learned he was a political patron of then-Gov. Ryan, and then-Attorney General Jim Ryan -- a claim Carper adamantly denied on the stand Thursday.
more